American music icon Mariah Carey has announced the heartbreaking loss of both her mother, Patricia, and her sister, Alison, who passed away on the same day.
In a poignant message shared on Monday, the singer expressed her deep sorrow over the sudden and devastating loss of her loved ones.
“My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day,” Carey revealed.
The Grammy-winning artist expressed her gratitude for the precious time she recently spent with her mother. “I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed. I appreciate everyone’s love and support and ask for respect for my privacy during this impossible time,” she added.
The causes of death for Patricia, 87, and Alison, 63, have not been disclosed. However, Alison’s close friend and caretaker, Dave Baker, shared with The U.S. Sun that Alison had been receiving home hospice care in her final weeks, battling severe health issues, including problems with her internal organs.
“Beneath a tough exterior, Alison was a highly intelligent, warm, and sensitive person,” Baker said. “I have known her for nine years and as her friend and, in recent months, her carer, I will miss her greatly. Farewell, Alison. May you now find peace, your tortured soul forever free from earthly pain.”
Mariah Carey’s relationship with her mother, Patricia, was publicly known to be complex. Patricia, a former opera singer trained at Juilliard in New York City, also worked as a vocal coach and was previously married to Alfred Roy Carey, who passed away in 2002. The couple divorced when Mariah was just three years old.
In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the pop legend delved into the intricate dynamics she shared with her mother.
“Like many aspects of my life, my journey with my mother has been full of contradictions and competing realities,” Mariah wrote. “It’s never been only black-and-white — it’s been a whole rainbow of emotions. Our relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration, and disappointment. A complicated love tethers my heart to my mother’s.”
